Research
Welcome to WELL Labs’ knowledge repository. As a futures institute that enables research-based solutions and impact, we prioritise making our insights accessible to social innovators, researchers, allied communities and the public at large.
A Simple Guide to Making an Effective Playbook
Gargi Anand and Smita Kumar lay out how to document and share solutions using playbooks for the development sector
How India Can Promote Nature-Based Solutions: Lessons from Singapore, China, and the European Union
In this insight brief, we examine how Singapore, China, and the European Union facilitated research, policies, governance, funding, and participatory planning for the large-scale adoption of nature-based solutions
Barriers to Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions in Urban India
Our study delves into the barriers to the large-scale adoption of nature-based solutions in Indian cities, synthesises insights from other geographies, and explores solutions
Impact Assessment of Groundwater Collectivisation in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
This study assesses WASSAN’s groundwater collectivisation programme in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which improved irrigation access and reduced borewell drilling through shared infrastructure. It highlights the potential for scaling in regions facing water scarcity and fragmented irrigation access.
Wading Through The Complexity of India’s Surface Water Resources
Chapter published in The Hindu e-Books
Monitoring and Evaluation of Recharge Pits in Marathwada
This study highlights the need for a holistic, landscape-level approach to water management in Maharashtra’s basaltic regions, ensuring that interventions align with local hydrogeological realities.
Unlocking Nature-Based Solutions
WELL Labs and RMI convened a multi-stakeholder workshop to co-develop actionable solutions for scaling nature-based solutions across building, neighbourhood, and city levels. This synthesis report presents a detailed overview of the deliberations.
MGNREGA Planning in Karnataka: Assessment of Digital Tools and Capacity-Building for Natural Resources Management
WELL Labs and EDF conducted a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) exercise to assess the effectiveness of the Government of Karnataka’s Jala Sanjeevini programme. This report looks at how GIS tools like CLART are used to improve MGNREGA’s natural resource planning.
How Can We Measure Water Security Accurately?
This learning note explores the need for a framework like WISER (Water Index for Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience)—a science-based approach to tracking and enhancing water security in India. WISER leverages data, remote sensing, and stakeholder engagement to support evidence-based, equitable, and sustainable water management.
Phase 1 Results of the Water Index for Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience (WISER) Framework
WISER (Water Index for Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience) is a science-based framework to track and improve water security across India. It leverages data, remote sensing, and stakeholder inputs to enable evidence-based, equitable, and sustainable water management. This study showcases the results of the initiative’s first phase.